Spark producing and distributing apparatus for internal-combustion engines



v. PAQUIT SPARK fRODUCING AND DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS l 5 t e e h s 2Nov. 26, 1929.

FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Jan. 25, 1925 AIIIIIIHI NOV. 26,1929. v, PAQUIT 1,736,861 SPARK PRODUCING AND DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS FORINTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Jan. 25, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2wue-ntom Patented Nov. 26, 1929 VITAL PAQUIT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SPARK PRODUCING AND DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTIONENGINES Application filed January 25, 1923.

This invention relates to vertical type ignition apparatus for use inconjunction with the requirement of internal combustion engines, and myimprovements are particularly directed to certain novel features whichmay be briefly summarized as follows:

1. The arrangement of contact plates upon the periphery of a rotor,equi-spaced, circumferentially and in different horizontal planes, andthe arrangement of brushes, suitably secured to the casing, to coactwith the contact plates on the rotor, so that the brushes to which thespark plugs of the engine are con nected, will successively close theignition circuits at regular intervals, for the respective cylinder.

2. The provision of a contact breaker, located within the rotor casing,including a cam carried by the rotor shaft, and means whereby the camand the rotor may be adjusted to set the timing of the ignltion, withoutthe removal of contacting parts.

3. The provision of means upon the rotor casing, exterior thereof, forcontaining the condenser.

4. The provision of an oscillable plate, mounted within the casing,carrymg the breaker mechanism, and a projecting lever whereby the platemay be shifted relatively 3 to the cam in order to change the pos tionof the breaker, and thereby cause the ignition spark to be advanced orretarded.

Other features and advantages of my invention will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of an apparatus embodying myinvention, taken on the line 11 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 2 is a top View thereof, partly broken a y,

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line-33 Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 6 isa diagram of the wiring illustrating the electrical system.

It'is the purpose in employing my improved ignition apparatus to housethe rotor,

Serial No. 615,448.

rial, and provided with a removable cap 2.

In the example illustrated the casing 1 is contracted at its lower endin the form of a terminal neck 3, whose base is provided with a flange 4and is adapted to seat upon the upper end of a shaft housing 5 that isalso provided with a flange 6, the neck 3 and housing 5 being connectedby means of bolts 7 that unite the flanges. An engine driven shaft 8,revoluble in a bushing 9, provided in housing 5, extends beyond thehousing so that it may enter neck 3, and has a U-shaped slot 10 formedtransversally in its end. A bushing 11 is fitted within the neck 3, and,for convenience in assembly, is provided with an annular collar 12 toseat upon a shoulder 13 formed at the upper end of neck 3.

Revoluble within the casing is a rotor 14, composed of suitableinsulation material, and secured to a sleeve 15 upon which the rotor 14,is preferably moulded thereon. This sleeve 15, which extends verticallywithin the casing, contains an axial shaft or bolt 16, pro vided, at itsupper end, with a head 16. A cam 17 is adapted to seat upon the end ofthe sleeve 15, and has a cylindrical projection 18 that enters thesleeve 15, said projection 18 having a radial spline 19 to enter a slot15 in the sleeve, to thereby key the cam and sleeve together. A springwasher 18 is interposed between head 16 and cam 17, and when the bolt 16is tightened up in its threaded engagement, with a hub 20 at the otherend of the casing, the bolt, cam, sleeve and hub are thereby securedtogether for unified rotation. The hub 20 is journalled within thebushing 11, a thrust-bearing being provided by means of an annularcollar 21 to the hub that co-acts with the upper surface of the bushing11. The hub 20 is hollowed out cylindrically from its lower end, therebyenabling it to receive the slotted end of engine driven shaft 8. A pin22 extended transversely through the hollow portion of hub 20, andsecured to the hub, is adapted to enter the slot 10 located at the endof shaft 8, so that the arrangement provides an automatic attachmentbetween the ignition device and the engine. At the upper end of thecasing is a plate 23 which is seated upon a horizontal bearing in theform of a shoulder 24 and secured thereto as by screw means 25. Theplate has a pendent concentric flange 26. within which is fitted abearing member 27, whereof the complementary member 28, to provide araceway for balls 29, is secured to the sleeve 15.

Secured upon plate 23, as by screws 30, is a block 31 of insulationmaterial, while imposed upon block 31, and secured thereto as by thesame screws 30, is a strap 32, which form an engaging socket for abinding post 33, that serves as a terminal for the primary winding ofthe induction coil.

In order that the strap and socket may lock the binding post 33 in itsengaged position, its inner surface is angled as at 34 Fig, 4 and atransverse peripheral recess 35 is provided in the binding post toco-act therewith.

Fitted and secured between the insulation 31 and strap 32 is a strip ofconductive spring-like material 36, whose free end is bent upwardly inorder that it may bear tensionally against a contact member 37 shown indotted line in Fig. 2, that is mounted on insulation material 38,secured to the under surface of a plate 39, which is oscillably mountedin the casing. As shown, this plate 39 is provided with a pendentannular flange, by which it rests upon a shoulder 40 formed on the innersurface of the casing.

A groove 41, formed annularly in the casing, just above the upperperimeter of plate 39, serves for the partial reception of a spring wirering 42, which is thus enabled to c0-act with the shoulder 40 torestrain the plat 39 against vertical motion, while leaving the platefree for oscillable movement in its horizontal plane.

The condenser 43, here shown as contained in a chamber 44 providedtherefor at the outer surface of the casing 1, is included in theprimary circuit with the binding post and conductive strip 36', which,by means of contact member 37, is in communication with the breakercontacts.

The particular breaker mechanism designed by me for highly efiicient andendur ing service, consist of a channeldike member 45, provided andpivoted to the plate 39 as at 46,; and having fitted and clamped thereina projecting wear-piece 47, to co-act with the cam 17. A straight spring49 extends along the back of member 45, in spaced relation therewith,being secured at one end to member 45, near the pivotal end thereof, andbeing separated at its free end from the free end of the member 45 by apiece or block of anti-friction material 50, whose function is toeliminate frictional resistance as relative motion occurs between member45 and spring 49 in the operation thereof.

The usual adjustment screw 51 bears against spring 49, and member 45carries a contact 52 to co-act with an opposed contact 53, that iscarried by a mount 54, secured to plate 39, and electrically connectedwith contact member 37.

The cam 17 is shown as provided with six radial points, adapted tosuccessively engage the wearpiece 47 to break the primary circuit. Thisnumber of cam points is given because, in the example of my inventionherein illustrated, the rotor 14 is shown as proided with three contactplates 55, disposed in different horizontal planes and respectivelydistanced 120 apart circumferentially to co-act with sir: brushes 56,arranged in pairs located in the same respective planes, apart, so thatsix equal intervals of time may elapse between the closing of therespective secondary circuits through collector ring 57 and brush 58 towhich is attached the high tension wire of the ignition coil in order toserve the spark plugs of the engine.

It will be recalled that the bolt 16 is rovided at its upper end with ahead 16, t at, by means of a spring washer 18 clamps the cam 17 upon theend of the sleeve 15, and also clamps sleeve 15 upon hub 20, thereby ina single operation uniting these several elements, with the rotor, intoone revoluble element. It follows that by loosening the bolt 16, the camand the rotor can be adjusted to any desired timing relation;furthermore, to ease the timing operation, I provide my cam with a markon a projection thereof in conjunction with a marked terminal for thespark plug of the engine and in accordance with the rotation of thedistributor and the cam, so that the first spark to be distributed isindicated on the terminal marked R for right rotation and with themarked projection of the cam breaking the electrical circuit through thecontacting points of the breaker mechanism when said projection passesunder wearpiece 47 of the breaker, thus preventing search for the startof the distribution.

In the operation of the engine, for advancing and retarding the ignitionspark, I provide a lever 61, attached as by a screw 62 to the oscillableplate 39, in whose under surface (see 5) a radial channel is formed, bymeans of spaced ribs 63, that snugly receives said lever and guards itagainst lateral play relatively tothe plate. The lever extends through ahorizontal slot 64 provided in the casing 1, whose lateral limits permita range of movement for the lever sufiicient for maximum advancement andretardation of the spark, which is effected in the co-related movementof plate 37 whereby wear-piece 47 (Fig. 2) varies its angular relationto the cam points.

In reference to Fig 2, it will be seen that the terminals forconnections between the rotor distributor and the spark plugs of theengine are provided to two separate blocks 68 and 69 apart, ofinsulation material and of like-construction. In these blocks are moldedsleeves as 65, Fig. 1, of conductive material and wherein the contactelements as 56 and 58 are slidable and urged toward the rotor by aspring such as 66. The blocks 68 and 69 are suitably secured to thecasing by means of. a fiat strap 70 and screws 71. It will thus be seenthat the above combination also improves the accessibility of thebreaker mechanism when said apparatus is in operation as the inspectionof said mechanism may be had by simply removing the cover 2 therefor.

The Fig. 6 is an illustration diagram of the whole electrical system andis included herein only as a reference to the well known wiring ofignition systems.

Although the specific embodiment shown in the drawings is designed for asix cylinder engine, it is understood that the invention is equallyapplicable to engines generally, regardless of the number of cylinders.

The present apparatus is of standard ignition speed, or, half enginespeed for a fourstroke cycle engine and engine speed for a two-strokecycle engine. It will be seen that there is herein described apparatusin which the several features of this invention are embodied, and whichapparatus in its action attains the various objects of the invention andis well suited to meet the requirements of practical use.

What I claim is:

1. An ignition apparatus embodying: a distributor casing of elongatedform for vertical use having in its upper portion a circuit breakeroperated by a cam having a marked projection and secured on thedistributor shaft by means of a bolt, said bolt distributor and cambeing removably secured together and revoluble in said casing. a sleeveenclosing the bolt, the distributor being of elongated form and having aplurality of wipe contacts equi-spaced alongside its axis in combinationwith stationary contacting elements therefor adapted to the distributorcasing, an oscillatory plate carrying said circuit breaker and a contactmember connected therewith, a conductive strip having a bent terminalportion to engage said contact memher and a binding post connectedthereto for low tension current connection.

2. In ignition apparatus, in combination, a casing for vertical use, arotor distributor of elongated form in said casing, a bolt and meansrevolubly secured by the bolt, a sleeve enclosing the bolt, a cam with amarked projection, breaker mechanism mounted in the upper portion ofsaid casing, said rotor distributor mounted on the sleeve between thebearing arrangement of the casing, said cam located on the upper end ofsaid sleeve and means of engagement between the engine and the i nitionapparatus.

3. n a device of the class described, in combination, a casing forvertical use, a rotor distributor of elongated form therein, a circuitbreaker mechanism in the upper portion of said casing, a rotary cam witha marked projection operating said circuit breaker, a mechanicalarrangement of the class described for engine connection located in thelower portion of said casing, a hollow shaft carrying the distributorand the cam and enclosing a bolt serving to releasably unite said rotordistributor and cam with the engine connecting means, panels ofinsulating ma terial carrying contacting elements for coaction with thecontacts of the distributor, said panels equi-spaced alongside the axisof the distributor, and a central brush to connect said distributor withthe source of high tension current to be distributed.

4:. In an ignition apparatus, in combination, a casing, a bolt having ahead, means removably secured by the bolt and revolubly mounted in thecasing, a sleeve enclosing the bolt and bearing arrangement for axiallyrotating the rotor mounted on the sleeve, breaker mechanism mounted inthe casing, a cam located at the upper end of the sleeve to actuate thebreaker, and means of engagement between the engine and the ignitionapparatus, the head of the bolt serving to releasably unite the rotorand the cam to the engine connecting means.

5. In an ignition apparatus, in combination, a casing, a shaftjournalled in the casing, a rotor distributor carried by the shaft, acam also carried by the shaft, an oscillable plate, a breaker carried bythe plate to co act with the cam, a contact member upon the oscillableplate, a conductive strip having a bent terminal portion to engage saidcontact member, a binding post entered through the casing wall, saidpost having an angled portion, a fixed mount in the casing, a strapfixed to secure the binding post by means of an angled portion of thepost in order to lock same, and the strap also securing the conductivestrip to the fixed mount.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New York this24th day of January, A. D. 1923.

VITAL PAQUIT.

